3D printing stencils

[SugarHillBaits]

Ok guys I have a question, my daughter has a 3d printer and says I can make whatever I want with it so My question is can someone walk me through how to make stencils for my baits ? This is a new thing for me but I would love to be able to do this.

Thank you

Jason

[Vodkaman]

There was another recent post on the same subject.

Basically, you need to model your lure body in CAD in order to communicate with the printer. There is no way around this. Learning CAD is daunting, but is not that difficult if you are prepared to put in the hours.

I will add; if you go to the trouble of teaching yourself CAD, you will have to use it regularly even if you do not have a project on the go. In between projects, I like to get in at least an hour or two per week. Fail to take this advice and you will have to learn from scratch every time you start a new project. CAD is NOT like riding a bicycle.

Dave

[datguy.dev]

Stencils can be fairly difficult to 3D print. You have to go really slow and tune your settings to avoid stringing to get a clean result.

 

The easiest way to go about creating a stencil is to use Fusion360 (free). Find a design online in the svg format. Import the svg into Fusion then extrude it 1 or 2mm. Export to STL. Import STL model into your slicer software. There are also stencils already available on thingiverse etc.

 

I make stencils in PLA and use a heatgun at 100F to form it to the body of the bait. Make two sides and clamp it together. Others have made molds the bait goes into.

Edited May 12, 2019 by datguy.dev

[Vodkaman]

I agree heat or vacuum forming is the way to go.

Dave

[Chuck Young]